4. In person

An Illinois Secretary of State's drivers license facility. You can register to vote when you obtain or renew your drivers license or state identification card at any of the license facilities. Registration is also available at other state government offices, including public assistance offices and military recruitment offices.

Do I have to re-register?

Your registration is permanent unless you move or change your name.

1. Address Change

If you have moved within suburban Cook County, you must transfer your registration by re-registering. You may choose to write your new address on the back of your voter identification card and mail it to the Clerk's downtown Chicago office.

You must re-register with the local election authority or county clerk if you move to an address outside suburban Cook County.

2. Name Change

Voters who have legally changed their name, but not their address, do not have to re-register. You can update your information at the polls.

Will I automatically be registered to vote when I renew my driver's license?

No. But you will be given the opportunity to register if you are not already registered. There is no need to register again unless you have moved or have changed your name.

What is absentee voting?

Absentee voting is a convenient way of casting a ballot if you’re unable to make it to your polling place on Election Day. The most common method of voting absentee is by mail, but you may also cast ballots in person at your local village or township hall.

According to state law, if you're a registered voter in suburban Cook County, you may cast an absentee ballot only if you are:

Expecting to be out of Cook County on Election Day

Physically incapacitated or hospitalized

Temporarily away at college

Serving on a jury

Serving as an election judge or election official

Observing a religious holiday

In jail awaiting trial

However, Illinois voters may take part in Early Voting, which allows voters to vote before the election without having a reason or excuse. Those early voters must vote in person (not by mail) at a designated early voting site.

Can I vote early?

Yes. Illinois voters can cast their ballots before Election Day at designated locations without having to provide a reason or excuse.

Casting your ballot before Election Day makes voting more convenient, especially for the elderly and voters with busy schedules.

Bring Photo ID

State law requires early voters to display valid identification to an election official before receiving a ballot to vote early. Valid forms of ID include: a current driver’s license, state-issued ID card or another government-issued ID with a photograph.

Voting Equipment

Early voting will be conducted on touch screens that store every ballot style in the county, permitting any voter in suburban Cook to vote at any location.

Ballot secrecy

Your ballot will remain secret and securely stored.

Is there a grace period to register?

Yes.

There is only one way and one place to register during the 14-day grace period. Unregistered voters must sign up to vote in person at the Clerk's downtown Chicago office: 69 W. Washington St., Room 500. You must show two pieces of identification to register.

Grace-period voters must vote absentee. You can: 1) vote in person at the Clerk's downtown office immediately after signing up to vote; or 2) receive an absentee ballot by mail that you can complete at home and return to the Clerk's office before Election Day.

Grace-period registrants are not allowed to vote at the polls on Election Day or vote at any early voting site.